Minister for Health and Finance T. Harish Rao has condemned the comments of Governor on the public health system in the State made during an event organised in Raj Bhavan on Thursday to celebrate completion of her three years in office and said they amounted to hurting the morale of doctors since the Governor is a doctor herself.
Speaking at a meeting of ASHA (accredited social health activist) and ANM (auxiliary nursing midwifery) workers’ meet at Tandur in Vikarabad district on Friday. he sought to know why the Governor was reacting when the State Government was criticising the Centre. The public health system in the State had developed enormously after formation of the State, he stated and suggested that the Governor visit the Bibinagar AIIMS once where not even basic facilities had been provided so far by the Centre.
He ridiculed the Governor’s comment that the public health services were not good in the State and reminded her that the Centre had complimented the State on several occasions for its exemplary performance in improving several health indicators. He pointed out that Telangana was at the top in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates and no other BJP-ruled State had achieved such progress.
Further, he explained that Telangana was third from top in the overall health indicators in the country and the institutional (government hospital) deliveries had increased from 30% in 2014 to 66% in 2021, in health and wellness rankings Telangana was at the top and in malaria control the State had jumped to category one with the hard work of health officials including ASHA and ANM workers.
However, the Governor who is a doctor herself was unable to understand the reality and resorting to mudslinging on the State Government like a politician, he said adding that the AIIMS Bibnagar had not even 10% facilities available in the medical colleges of the State.
The Minister launched distribution of uniforms (saris) to ASHA and ANM workers for the year. It would be taken up across the State. Minister for Education P. Sabita Indra Reddy, Chevella MP G. Ranjith Reddy, MLA P. Rohith Reddy, MLC P. Mahender Reddy, ZP chairperson P. Sunitha Mahender Reddy and officials of the Health Department participated.
Mr. Harish Rao said all 3,200 ANM sub-centres in the State would be turned into ‘palle dawakhanas’ with either doctors or staff nurses extending healthcare services to local people. He stated that their salaries were also increased from ₹2,000 per month in the past to ₹9,750 per month. However, the ANM and ASHA workers were getting only ₹3,000 pm in Madhya Pradesh and ₹4,000 pm in Chhattisgarh.
